Two siblings who fell in love with coffee, its origin, and culture, have taken it a step further and opened a coffee shop to leave a legacy for their family.
The owners of Phoka Coffee, Matatane Mofokeng, 35, and his sister Kananelo Mofokeng, 33, from Qwa-Qwa in the Free State, say they are using their business as a tool to inform South Africans about the value of the coffee industry.
Phoka is the clan name of the Mofokeng family.
“We love coffee and the culture that comes with it. So because I was in the baking industry, we thought it would be perfect that we merge the two to complement each other.
“We want black South Africans to relate to coffee and understand the culture behind it. Our reason for existence is to bring coffee home where it belongs; coffee originated in Africa,” said Kananelo.
The duo described their journey in the business as one that continues to challenge them as individuals, siblings, and business partners.
“We started full operation in November 2020, a few months after the first lockdown, and we can boldly say that running a business has not been a walk in the park. We are still in the building stages. It is not easy at all.
“On some days we ask ourselves why we started, but because we want to grow our brand, we continue. We had financial challenges and the uncertainty that comes with the running of the business, but our main aim was to introduce the culture of coffee in a small town,” said Kananelo.
Both graduates, and the Mofokeng siblings want to embed their names in the history of the coffee market in South Africa.
“I hold a BCom law degree and my sister a BA in communication science, which we attained from Unisa.
“I resigned from my position as an assistant director of finance in the Department of Recreation, Sports, Arts, and Culture in 2020 because I wanted to create my legacy. She shared the same sentiments because she has been self-employed for a longer time than she has been an employee,” added Matatane.
Phoka Coffee operates two branches in QwaQwa in the eastern Free State. The mother branch is in Clubview at the Mofokeng homestead. In January, they opened a kiosk at Maluti Crescent Mall in QwaQwa.
The Phoka siblings use their business venture as a way of giving back to the QwaQwa community. They have five staff members.
“I have always imagined I had a coffee shop where people would come and have my baked goodies with coffee. Little did I know that my brother would take me on this coffee adventure. An idea of just a coffee shop has developed into a coffee brand, with a bigger vision.
“We want to change the narrative that the only way to make it in life is by being an employee. We felt we also deserve a decent coffee place where our people can come to indulge in the culture,” said Kanalelo.
Phoka Coffee also offers slush puppies, ice cream, popcorn, cakes, and other baked goods delicacies.
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